Sprinkler



Nov. 7, 1950 D. E. RATLIFF SPRINKLER Filed Jan. 3, 1947 2| 2o lo 3|- I6 l 1 la |7 3o 4 INVENTOR. DONALD E RATLIFF BY gw/M torn ey Patented Nov. 7, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT ,y FFICE" e v l 2,529,262 l v Y SPRINKLER Donald E. Ratlil, Bend, Oreg. Application January 3, 1947, Serial No. 720,083

'I'he present invention relates tov a rotary sprinkler for the watering of lawns, gardens or orchards, or other uses. A feature of my invention is that one unit may be provided as the terminal piece of a hose or the like adapted to be moved from place to place, or a plurality of the sprinkling devices may be connected in series 2 claims. (c1. 299-69) by sections of pipe or the like and temporarily or permanently'located in position to sprinkle sections ofalarge area.

. An object of the present invention is to provide a rotary sprinkler which is formed of relatively few vparts which are easy to manufacture and assemble.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a rotary sprinkler device which is adaptable to av plurality of different types of mounting members, such as a standard, adapted to be moved from place to place on a lawn or garden, or a pipe fitting adapted to be held in place by the water conveying pipes associated therewith.

The objects and advantages of my present invention will be more fully understood from a study of the following specification taken in -v connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a Avertical section Referring to Fig. l thereis disclosed a 'rotary sprinkler comprising a supporting member including a relatively fiat top portion I and a plurality (such as three or four) of pointed legs II, the whole being preferably formed cfa-single n., piece 0f sheet metal stamped to the shape disclosed. The legs II are preferably of considerable length and adapted to bepressed into the ground by pushing downward or stepping upon the horizontal top portion I0 so that the sprinkler may be movedfrom place to place and be re- E tained in an upright position.

A first fitting I4 is retained beneath the central portion of the top IU, the fitting comlower end of the shank portion v25 of a rotary sprinkler device including a downwardly inclined tubular portion 26 vhaving its tip closed and having a plurality of perforations 2l in its upwardly and outwardly facing surface. The sprinkler device may be formed by sealing one end of a short length of standard tubing and bending the length of tubing around a curved form to assume the shape illustrated.

The shank portion 25 is journaled in the vertical bore provided in the fitting I4 and retained against disassociation therefrom by the threaded annular plug and an enlargement provided on the outer surface of the lower end of the shank portion.

In the preferred form of the invention herein illustrated the enlargement comprises a bushing 30 of rubber tubing or the like which is fitted over the outer surface of the shank portion and suitably retained thereon. The rubber tubing may be resilient and' stretched to slip over the shank portion and adhered thereto .so as to form a firmly bonded assembly. The rubber tubing may be fairly rigid on the other hand and will be shaped or drilled and reamed to slip easily over the end of the shank portion and will be retainedthereon by retaining means comprising a pin 3I passed horizontally through holes drilled through the assembled members, the pin being adapted to vbe retained against endwise movement by the wall of the bore in the fitting I4. The bushing is preferably formed of rubber or rubberous material but may be formed of hard plastic or resin-bonded fabric, provided the material of the bushing will not tend to adhere to the metal of the fitting I4 and will be lubricated by water fromthe stream of water fiowing through the device. It will be noted that the internal diameter of the annular plug 20 is preferably slightly largerVr than the external diameter of the shank portion 25 so as to avoid excess friction.

In order to rotate the sprinkler device about the axis of the shank portion 25 I provide a pluprising an elbow-shaped member including a horizontal portion having internal threads I5 therein for the reception of the end of a hose or length of pipe, and a vertical portion I6 having an internal horizontal flange I'I at the bottom thereof surrounding an opening I8 communicating with the interior of the fitting,

and internal threads I 9 at the top thereof and spaced from the fiange I1. A removable fitting 20 is associated with the threads I9 and comprises a flange 2| adapted to overlie the portion rality of laterally directed openings in the tip portion 26, the reaction of the streams'of water passing therethrough against the surrounding atmosphere causing the sprinkler device to rotate, and a turbine device 40. The openings 35 may be omitted and the entire force of propulsion of the sprinkler device about its vertical axis may be supplied by the turbine means 4U located within the shank portion v25 and afiixed thereto.

The turbine means which provides the greater portion, or ifdesired all, of the rotating force, comprises a fiat strip of sheet metal twisted about its longitudinal center line to provide a plurality of spiral iiutes within the bore of the shank portion 25. In the preferred form I take a strip of sheet'metal 40 and twist it through two complete revolutions so as to provide spiralflutes of suiiicient length to provide suicient force to rotate the sprinkler device, and retain the stripl 40 with- `the ends of sections of pipeor hose so that a plurality of the sprinkler devices may be retained in serial relation. The T-coupler 5G may be mounted upon a standard or may be disassociated from a standard and retained in proper position by the rigidity of the joining pipes. The T-leg 53' of the coupler 5.0 is adapted to extend vertically as illustrated and receive therein the lower end of 'a fitting 54 having external threads thereon to engage with the threads of the leg 53. The fitting 54 is provided with a lower flange v55 annularly surrounding an opening 56 and upper internal threads spaced from the ange 55 to retain an annular plug 2n having a central bore large enough to journal the shank 25 of a rotary sprinkler device. The space between the flange 55 and the plug 20 is of larger diameter and is adapted to retain the external bearing sleeve 30 fixed to the shank 25 by the pin 3|, as previously described, The pin 3l also passes through the turbine device 4U, as previously described, and the rotary sprinkler device is'otherwise as disclosed with respect to Fig. 1.

AI have thus provided a rotary sprinkler device which may be made in a .plurality of forms by the use of interchangeable parts. It will be appreciated that the form illustrated in Fig. 2 is almost entirely Ythe Same as the form illustrated in Fig. 1, it being only necessary to eliminate the coupling tting i4 and substitute therefor the fitting 54 and the T-coupling 50. Of the last two mentioned members 'only one need be fabricated as the T -coupling 50 is a standard part available in any plumbing or hardware shop. The annular plug is'also a standard fitting member. Accordingly parts which need bemanufactured are very fewV in number and comprise the sprinkler tube, the turbine strip, the bearing member 30 and the pin 3i, all of which are usable in any form of the invention, and the coupling member I4 or the fitting 54 which are interchangeable and may be manufactured by Simple operations in lesser quantities than the other parts. Likewise the standard for supporting the sprinkler device may be manufactured in lesser number than the other parts and will be supplied with the sprinkler device as ordered. When the form illustrated in Fig. 2 is to be used in connection with a rigid group of pipes permanently located throughout a garden or orchard, the standards may be omitted, but if it is desired that the form illustrated in Fig. 2 be utilized in connection with hose or the like the standards may be associated therewith merely by removing the plug 20, withdrawing the shank portion from the iitting 54, and then reassembling the members to retain them in proper association with the standard.

It is to be appreciated that the present invention will not wear out as has been the case with all prior sprinkler devices within my knowledge,

such wearing taking place at the adjacent rotating and non-rotating surfaces so that eventually the entire sprinkler must be discarded. By making the bearing member 30 of material which may be slipped from the shank of the sprinkler portion and by the use of a loose pin 3l I am able to :prolong the life of a sprinkler device merely by replacing a worn or damaged bearing member 30.

Having illustrated and described a preferred 4 embodiment of my invention,it should-be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention permits of modifications in detail and arrangement. All such modifications as come within the true spirit and scope of the appended ,claims are considered to be a part of my invention.

I claim:

V1. A rotary sprinkler comprising a supporting member comprising a fiatY top portion having an opening therethrough, ,a first fitting having its upper end engaging the lower surface of said topA portion and surrounding said opening, said rst fitting having internal threads near its upper end, anv adjacent smooth bore portion, and an internal flange at the'lower end of said smooth bore portion, a second fitting disposed in said opening and having external threads engaging said internal threads and an'external flange engaging the upper surfacev of said top portion, and a rotatable sprinkler device having its lower end coaxially disposed within said fittings, said sprinkler device comprising a bearing sleeve disposed in the space defined by saidrsmoothY bore portion, and said internal flange and the lower end of said second tting overhanging the ends of said bearing sleeve to retain said sprinkler device in position.

2. A rotary sprinkler comprising a support, a rotatable spraying device mounted on said support and including atubular shankportion disposed with its axis substantially vertical, a short section of rubber tubing snugly surrounding the lower end of said shank portion, attaching' means holding said section onto the outer surface Vof said shank portion, and means journaling said shank portion comprising an externallyl threaded iitting mounted in upright position on said support and loosely journaling said shank portion above the upper end of saidr section, an internally threaded'tting threadedly associated withsaid externally threaded iitting vand comprising a por tion loosely journaling said section and an, internal flange underlyingsaid seetion to support said spraying.device,zthe'lower end of said externally threaded fitting providing an upper Iiange to retain saidI spraying device againstY the thrust of water flowing therethrough, said spray# ing device comprising a twisted strip of sheet material disposed wit-hinthe bore of said shank portion, and said attaching means comprising a pin passing through said section, vsaid shank portion and said strip'.

. DONALD E. RATLIFF.

REFERENCES' errno The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 182,413 Chase Sept. 19, 1876- 370,922 Best Oct. 4, 1887 554,628 Rocholl Feb. 1 1, 1896 575,966 Main Jan, 26, 1897 1,649,179 Orr Nov. 15, 1.927 1,876,250 Lassen et al Sept. 6, 1932 2,310,796 Lappin Feb. 9, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 22,889 Australia Oct. 2l, 1930 of 1929 115,063 Australia May 14, 1942 15,475 Australia July 12, 1934 of 1933 v 

